>>5181056As you speed towards the marketplace, you can’t help but shake off the feeling that whatever terrible thing has happened to your friends may be your fault. Could it be Alena, seeking to take out those that were involved with foiling her plan? The thought crosses your mind, but you dismiss it. She had mentioned she’d hold no grudge against you, and besides, whoever was behind this was in the act already. You shake your head. Worrying won’t do you any good. You have to be ready to do battle in a few days should it arise at the chapel.
Using the large sum of gold you received from the Count, you decide to buy a Staff to serve as a conduit for your magic casting. You’ve hardly been able to fight as a full-fledged Dark Flier yet, but the ability to bombard the enemy with powerful magics from above is an opportunity too good to pass. You also buy an extra 3-pack of Vulneraries, as you were running a bit low.
>Gained Magic Staff and 3 Vulneraries!>Lost 2600 GoldOnce you purchase and stow away your items, you begin making your way back to your dorm, but stop midway, walking in a different direction instead. Try as you might, you find it too coincidental that two people in your unit were taken, and you’re worried that something bad has happened to your friends. Your feet take you in a different direction from the dorms, towards the fishing grounds, where you hope you’ll be able to do a bit of clear thinking. The fishing ground is sparsely populated, likely a result of the colder weather. You stare out towards the sea, when you hear a voice from behind you startle you out of your contemplation.
“Yoohoo, Blair! How are you?” Asks Monica. The redhead is her usual cheerful, spirited self. You thought she was a bit weird at first but seeing her now gives you a strange of a sense of relief. Monica had gone missing herself a while back and turned up unharmed. Perhaps the same can be said of your friends.
>“Monica…good to see you again.”“You look down in the dumps, Blair. What’s wrong?” She asks, taking a seat next to you on the bench you were sitting on.
>“It’s nothing, just doing some thinking is all.”“Come on, Blair. You can’t fool me. You’re worried about your friends, aren’t you? Martha and Xavier, right?”
>“Ehh? How did you know?” From what the Professor told you, the information surrounding the missing students was highly confidential. “I’m pretty observant, you know? Besides, it’s not that much of a secret. Students suddenly no longer showing up to class or after school activities for days without any warning or notice…” She trails off. “It should be no surprise I can tell something’s wrong.”
>You nod. “Makes sense... You were…one of them yourself, not too long ago.”Monica sighs. “You don’t have to tell me twice! But seeing as how that is the case, you can say I have a bit of a…vested interest in getting to the bottom of this.”
